Turn-of-the-20th-century Oatmeal ads

To follow up on that last post about oatmeal, here are a few US newspaper ads from the 1890s/early 1900s that touted its supreme benefits. This seems to be when oatmeal really took off in the US as a breakfast food. Better late than never, our Irish, English, and Scottish cousins were probably thinking!

The Paducah Sun – Kentucky, 25 November 1902 (Credit: Library of Congress Digital Newspaper Archives)

The Evening Star – Washington, DC, 30 Oct 1910 (Credit: Library of Congress Digital Newspaper Archives)

The Portland Daily Press (Maine), 23 June 1894 (Credit: Library of Congress Digital Newspaper Archives)

“Broadhead Worsted Mill” in Jamestown, New York

A Broadhead Worsted Mill advertisement – http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.09486
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-09486 (digital file from original print) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

If you stroll around eBay long enough looking for memorabilia related to the Brodhead family and make use of alternate spellings to increase your odds, you’ll eventually run into advertising posters for Broadhead Worsted Mill in Jamestown, New York.

No, as the spelling strongly suggests, a descendant of Captain Daniel Brodhead and Ann Tye (arrived on these shores in1664, and both from Royston, West Riding, Yorkshire) was not involved in the Mill’s founding. Nonetheless, at some point it seems likely that we, the descendants of the Captain and his wife, share a common ancestor given the Mill’s founder, William Broadhead (1819-1910), also hailed from Yorkshire (from a town called Thornton). Royston is a very tiny village located to the northeast of Barnesley, and Thornton is a bit to the west of Bradford. The two are just about 25 miles apart.

Thornton and Royston are about 25 miles apart (cropped from the “New and improved map of England & Wales ” London : William Darton, 16th April 1823; Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650)

Per the Jamestown, New York, website, William had worked in Thornton as a blacksmith before emigrating to the US in 1843. He would have been about 24 years of age when he undertook that great adventure. It appears that initially he took up similar work in Jamestown, but eventually became interested in the textile industry.

“Wm. Broadhead” Image from The History of Chatauqua County, New York, Illustrated, Boston: W.A. Ferguson & Co., 1894, p. 808

Follow the website link above for the brief version of his life and career (or read the long version below). His was a fabulous success story. Like many who’ve achieved “the American dream,” he made significant contributions to his community. His two mills “employed thousands of persons”. The impact this one ambitious immigrant had was clearly exponential.

See Find a Grave for the grave of William Broadhead and other family members
See this listing on Realtor to view the home mansion William built for his family at 130 South Main Street in Jamestown, New York

Biographical information from The History of Chatauqua County, New York, Illustrated, Boston: W.A. Ferguson & Co., 1894, pp. 808-811

A Florida Friday: The house that cowboy hats (and lots of other hats) built

The John B. Stetson House in DeLand, Florida; photo by Ebyabe, 1 March 2008 – Permission granted to copy, use image under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license – see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

I love old houses, and I’m sure I am not alone in that regard.

Here in Florida, it can be a challenge to find homes over a certain age, depending on where you live, of course, especially the further south you go.

Because truly old homes are not as plentiful as up north, I periodically search for ones for sale on websites like Realtor, etc., where you can filter out results based on age and other criteria. It’s fun (IMO) to look at old home interiors you would otherwise probably never get to see. I was doing that a few days ago when I came across the John B. Stetson mansion at 1031 Camphor Lane in Deland, Volusia County, Florida. We’d been in that area a couple of times in recent years, visiting nearby De Leon Springs and Blue Springs, but had no idea the Stetson mansion, celebrated for its history and its architectural mix of Moorish, Gothic, and Tudor styles, would have been within such easy striking distance.

John Batterson Stetson (1830-1906) portrait. Wikipedia – public domain image

Who was John B. Stetson? If you have not heard of him, you may still be familiar with the Stetson hat.

Born in 1830 to a New Jersey hatter and his wife, Stetson, while still a young man, was diagnosed with tuberculosis and told he may not have much longer to live. He took off for the West, wanting to lay his eyes on that expansive majestic land while he still could. That’s when he came into contact with the region’s settlers and cowboys, who until then had largely been wearing caps made of coonskin and other furs, not very practical. Returning home to Philadelphia, he came up with the Stetson hat, and started turning them out in 1865. They sold like hotcakes and became known as “the boss of the plains.”

The Holly Standard, March 8, 1883 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

Stetson lived well into his seventies and along the way became known for his generosity as an employer and a philanthropist. His hat-making business had treated him well. His company survived and thrived, and it’s still going strong today: https://www.stetson.com

Seeing as how Stetson’s Florida mansion, built in 1886, is up for sale (for $4.7 million), this is an ideal time to get a look inside at the interior without paying an admission fee and without having to physically go there. The sellers purchased the house a decade ago and completely restored and renovated it.  The result is stunning, and although this is a private residence, they have generously been permitting people to tour the estate and experience this very interesting piece of history. In fact, it’s the #1 Deland attraction on Trip Advisor. Hopefully the eventual buyers will want to keep this up.

To go to the listing and its 122 photographs, click here: John B. Stetson house. For the Stetson Mansion website, click here.

The Boone County Recorder (KY), October 28, 1875 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

The Rockdale Messenger (TX), 9 September 1904 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

From the New York Daily Star, May 24, 1929 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

The New York Daily Star, 20 September 1929 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

The New York Daily Star, 16 May 1930 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

The Evening Telegram (NY), 30 September 1904 (Credit: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

Protected: “Walking” around the 1870s and “bumping into” two amazing sisters

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Protected: Happy National Ice Cream Day

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Visiting Henry Flagler’s “paradise” on Florida’s east coast

The Everglades along I-75, with a typical south Florida summer sky above–clouds gathering for an eventual thunderstorm

Sorry to have disappeared for a month! We just returned from our own road trip around the vast state of Oregon, taking in places like Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, Hell’s Canyon, Wallowa Lake, the John Day Fossil Beds, & Crater Lake and Upper Klamath Lake. From Upper Klamath Lake, we veered down into northwest California to take in the majestic beauty of the giant coastal redwoods there, before traveling up about two-thirds of the Oregon Coast. Once the dust settles, I will put together a post with my top 10-15 images from our trip.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with a little post I started, before leaving on vacation, about a jaunt we took to the Florida’s east coast not long ago…to Lake Worth, a fun, friendly, and eclectic little town wedged between Palm Beach to the north and Boynton Beach to the south. Lovely beach, fun downtown shops and restaurants, fabulous little Mexican food stand called Lupita’s, and plenty of nature and water activities. We stayed at a B&B called the Mango Inn, which was very peaceful and pleasant and within easy walking distance to the downtown and the lagoon. The signature breakfast dish “mango-stuffed French toast” proved to be disappointingly soggy, but perhaps the chef just had a bad day.

If you feel like taking a hike (we didn’t, given what time of year it is), you could easily walk to the ocean beach, which is clean and well cared for, by heading over the big bridge that crosses the 22-mile-long Lake Worth lagoon and deposits you close to the public beach parking lot. The old, historic casino building there has been renovated and offers a cool and pleasant spot to shop for souvenirs, grab an ice cream, or sit down for a meal.

The Casino today as viewed from the pier

The Casino on the beach, 1930s?

If you like to fish, the Lake Worth pier supposedly gets you closer to the Gulf Stream than anywhere else on Florida’s east coast; we saw some very big fish swimming below. The Snook Islands restoration project is underway in the Lake Worth lagoon which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The fishing is supposed to be very good here as well. We gave it a try one evening and walked away empty-handed, but have heard good things about the location. You can launch a kayak from this spot too. Studies of the lagoon and its inlets over the last twenty years have registered a whopping 261 species of fish!

Day’s fishing, Palm Beach, Fla. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

But the Lake Worth area of yesteryear was considerably different. While the fishing was probably just as good, if not far better, the population was vastly smaller. In 1920—only about 1,100. Today some 35,000 live in this small town which is surrounded on three sides by a sprawling metropolitan area that includes over five million people.

For a glimpse of how this area of Florida looked 100 or so years ago, you can view the Library of Congress images to the left and below. Most were taken in Palm Beach which is adjacent to where the town of Lake Worth lies today. The 1890 map below shows Lake Worth, the town, positioned north of Palm Beach, but today’s town is definitely to the south. But back in 1890, the entire area around the twenty-two-mile-long Lake Worth lagoon, was referred to as Lake Worth, so I suppose it did not really matter where the mapmaker plopped their little Lake Worth circle on the map.The current town was incorporated in 1912, twenty-two years after this map was created.

Township map of Peninsular Florida issued by the Associated Railway Land Department of Florida. 1890 … Copyright, 1890, for the Associated Railway Land Department of Florida, By D.H. Elliott, General Land Agent. Matthews, Northrup & Co., Buffalo, New York.—segment showing Lake Worth and Palm Beach on the East Coast                                                    (Credit: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection – http://www.davidrumsey.com)

In 1892, millionaire oil tycoon/industrialist Henry Flagler discovered this corner of Florida, declaring it “paradise” and deciding that it would make an ideal tourist destination for super-wealthy northerners (such as the Wm. A. Rockefeller family—see clipping below). And, with that, the ‘Flagler Era,’ which was well underway in places further north in Florida, stretched south to encompass Lake Worth. In 1894, his east coast railway was extended south to reach West Palm Beach, ensuring a steady flow of tourists. That coincided with the grand opening of his Royal Poinciana Hotel, a luxurious winter haven on the barrier islands on the Atlantic side of the lagoon, where the beaches are. You can see pictures of the Royal Poinciana Hotel below; it was built to face the lagoon. A train track constructed over Lake Worth lagoon delivered guests straight to the hotel. Gargantuan in size (allegedly becoming the largest wooden structure in the world), it was able to accommodate up to two thousand guests; bellhops made deliveries on bicycles. A daily three-mile walk could be achieved just by traversing the hotel’s labyrinth of corridors. Two years later, Flagler opened the nearby Palm Beach Inn (today known as the Breakers, so named because of its position on the beach where the sound of waves breaking can be heard). It has undergone numerous renovations over the years and is still welcoming guests today.

Poster for 1926 film starring Bebe Daniels: The Palm Beach Girl

Like many massive and grand Victorian hotels, the Royal Poinciana Hotel did not survive. It fell into decline in the 1920s and a 1928 hurricane and the 1929 stock market finished it off. The palatial hotel, an icon of the Gilded Age, was demolished in 1935.

I’d love to travel back in time to catch a glimpse of life in and around the hotel during its heyday, and of early Palm Beach / Lake Worth in general. Unfortunately, it appears that hardly any films exist from that period. Two directed by accomplished actress Pearl F. White (1889-1938), one in 1916 (Island of Happiness) and one in 1917 (Isle of Tomorrow), have apparently been lost—for an interesting article about them, click here. Also lost to the sands of time was the 1926 film starring actress Bebe Daniels, The Palm Beach Girl. It and some other early films (all lost, apart from one which is in a private collection) were mentioned in the Palm Beach Past blog. For that article, please click here. Perhaps Hollywood will some day produce a film that captures that era, in all its grandeur. Until then, I guess we just have to view the existing images and use our imaginations!

CLICK ON THE FIRST IMAGE, AND THEN USE THE ARROWS; for an interesting article containing more images and information about early Palm Beach, click here.

Jupiter and Lake Worth RR – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Along the shore of Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Fla (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Rubber trees, Lake Worth, Fla. – Wm. Henry Jackson, Photographer (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Lake Worth through cocanut [i.e. coconut] trees, Palm Beach, Fla. – between 1905-1915 (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Cragin’s, travellers’ tree, Wm Henry Jackson, photographer (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Lake Worth and Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach, Fla. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. )

Cocoanuts and pineapples, Lake Worth, Fla. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Cocoanut grove at McCormick’s, Lake Worth, Fla. – Wm Henry Jackson, photographer (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Lake Worth and the Royal Poinciana, Palm Beach, Fla. [between 1900-1915] – Library of Congress Division of Prints and Photographs)

[Lake Worth, view of Royal Poinciana Hotel, Palm Beach, Fla.] – between 1910-1920 – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

[The Royal Poinciana from Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Fla.] – between 1900-1915 (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Lake Worth, north from the [Royal] Poinciana – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Hotel Royal Poinciana, Lake Worth – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Lake Worth and W. Palm Beach from the Royal Poinciana – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

New York Herald 1913 describes Rockefeller visit (Credit: Fultonhistory.com)

Philadelphia Inquirer, 24 February 1925 (Credit: fultonhistory.com)

Advertisement in Chicago Tribune, 2 February 1905 (Credit: Fultonhistory.com)

TO VIEW AS A SLIDE SHOW, CLICK ON THE FIRST IMAGE, AND THEN USE THE ARROWS.

The beach at Lake Worth

Lake Worth pier gets you closer to the Gulf Stream than anywhere else on Florida’s east coast

It’s long, and this is not even the end!

Lots of folks out trying their luck

As you can see, it’s a long way out

Snook Islands – embark here by canoe or kayak to explore the lagoon/intercoastal waterway & Snook Islands

The bridge over Lake Worth, headed to the beaches

Gazebo looks off into the manmade Snook Islands

Part of the Snook Islands restoration project

Street murals in the downtown area

I felt nervous walking by this for some reason.

This buliding looks like it has been there for a long tome.

Fun store sells Indonesian crafts and products

…the eensy weensy spider…

Guess she blew her top

Stuck!

Friendly fire hydrant

Quite a few antique shops in the downtown area

No, it’s not an elephant on the Serengheti; most likely a cypress dome—a natural oasis for many creatures of the Everglades

Protected: Easter—a century ago

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Thanksgiving—a century ago: Teddy Roosevelt, turkey, football, ragamuffin parades, and ‘Black Friday’

Thanksgiving postcard circa 1900 (Credit: Wikipedia)

Life magazine cover, 1904

Thanksgiving is just a week away, and I enjoy thinking about how our ancestors may have gone about their own Thanksgiving Day preparations and celebrations.

I came across some ads and articles from 1904. What would have been going on back then? Grandma (not yet married) and her five sisters were likely cooking up a storm in the Woodruff family home in Hillside, NJ. The Andrew Jackson Brodhead family was marking its first Thanksgiving without family matriarch Ophelia. Did they spend the day at son James Easton Brodhead’s gloriously big home in Flemington, NJ? Did my great-grandfather Andrew Douglas Brodhead (James’ brother) and family of Perth Amboy, NJ, join them? And, on my mom’s side, the Trewin family was celebrating in Elizabeth, NJ. Did they get together with other family in nearby Bayonne or Jersey City, or have a quiet day at home? Did ‘Thanksgiving maskers’ come by to beg for pennies? (A tradition described very well in this Huffington Post article “A Forgotten Thanksgiving Custom: Masks, Mischief and Cross-dressing” – pub. 11/20/2012.)

Finding a Thanksgiving Turkey (Credit: Library of Congress*)

Perry NY Record, 24 Nov 1904 advertisement

In the early 20th century, the household radio had yet to exist, not to mention all the other devices available to us today—devices that, dare I say it, often distract us from interacting with the very family members in our midst? I imagine that back then, our ancestors enjoyed listening to the phonograph, dancing, playing games, and exchanging news and views on all sorts of topics. There’d certainly have been no TV football games to watch or fall in sleep in front of! But apparently high school Thanksgiving football games had become popular by then; so perhaps, our ancestors enjoyed watching a game or two in the crisp November air…or ventured into the Big Apple to watch a ‘ragamuffin parade‘—popular back then (see the below article “Turkey Feasts for Everyone”) and still a feature of many autumn festivals today.

Thanksgiving Maskers scrambling for pennies (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Thanksgiving Maskers (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

It would seem safe to say that many of my ancestors would likely have read the text of the inspiring and patriotic Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (below) by President Theodore Roosevelt (Rep-NY) who had won reelection by a landslide that year. The ladies in the respective families may have poured over Jule De Ryther’s cooking tips. De Ryther, celebrated soprano turned food maven, provided instructions in the newspaper for the ‘little woman’ on how to make a ‘Yankee Thanksgiving Dinner’ (see below). And, yes, it seems likely that our ancestors had some shopping on their mind. I found one full-page ‘Black Friday’ ad (shown below) with a headline screaming “Give Thanks Today For These Bargains Tomorrow.” It would seem that not much has changed after all these years, except for the items on sale and, of course, the prices!

Anyway, back to 2014. Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m still debating a couple of turkey recipes (Tyler Florence’s ‘Buried Turkey with Gravy‘ or Sandra Lee’s ‘Roasted Butter Herb Turkey‘). Both are excellent recipes. Tried Sandra’s last year and Tyler’s the year before. His is very handy if you want to get the bird cooked fast. It’s quick and easy and the meat comes out wonderfully moist and flavorful. Stuffing must be cooked separately however, and (for me) it’s a bit of a struggle to split the bird in half. Sandra goes the traditional stuffed-bird route, and rubs a garlic-herb-butter mix under the skin. The result is pretty delicious.

Feel free to share any favorite recipes in the comment box below. And, enjoy your Thanksgiving 2014!

P.S. What an ideal time to talk about family history and family traditions!

President Theodore Roosevelt (Republican from NY) – Lithograph by Forbes Litho. Mfg. Co., Boston [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

*************************************************************

PROCLAMATION By PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT:

It has pleased Almighty God to bring the American people in safety and honor through another year, and, in accordance with the long unbroken custom handed down to us by our forefathers, the time has come when a special day shall be set apart in which to thank Him who holds all nations in the hollow of His hand, for the mercies thus vouchsafed to us. During the century and a quarter of our national life we as a people have been blessed beyond all others, and for this we owe humble and heartfelt thanks to the Author of all blessings.

The year that has closed has been one of peace within our borders as well as between us and all other nations. The harvests have been abundant, and those who work, whether with hand or brain, are prospering greatly. Reward has waited upon honest effort. We have been enabled to do our duty to ourselves and to others. Never has there been a time when religious and charitable effort has been more evident. Much has been given to us and much will be expected from us. We speak of what has been done by this Nation in no spirit of boastfulness or vainglory, but with full and reverent realization that our strength is as nothing unless we are helped from above. Hitherto we have been given the heart and the strength to do the tasks allotted to us as they severally arose. We are thankful for all that has been done for us in the past, and we pray that in the future we may be strengthened in the unending struggle to do our duty fearlessly and honestly, with charity and good will, with respect for ourselves and love towards our fellow men.

Thanksgiving postcard circa 1910. Published by Wolf-Clapsaddle. Credit: Wikimedia

In this great Republic the effort to combine national strength with personal freedom is being tried on a scale more gigantic than ever before in the world’s history. Our success will mean much, not only for ourselves, but for the future of all mankind, and every man or woman in our land should feel the grave responsibility resting upon him or her, for in the last analysis this success must depend upon the high average of our individual citizenship, upon the way in which each of us does his duty by himself and his neighbor.

Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart Thursday, the twenty-fourth of this November, to be observed as a day of festival and thanksgiving by all the people of the United States, at home or abroad, and do recommend that on that day they cease from their ordinary occupations and gather in their several places of worship or in their homes, devoutly to give thanks to Almighty God for the benefits He has conferred, upon us as individuals and as a Nation, and to beseech Him that in the future His divine favor may be continued to us.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of November, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and four, and of the independence of the United States, the one hundred and twenty-ninth.

*************************************************************************************

Food writer Jule De Ryther turns up the heat in the 1904 Thanksgiving kitchen:

New York Press, 20 Nov. 1904 (Courtesy of http://www.fultonhistory.com)

*************************************************************************************

A little Black Friday shopping anyone? Men’s sweaters – 98 cents; Kashmir rugs – $8.75; women’s coats – $6.95 [CLICK TWICE to ENLARGE]:

Black Friday advertisement, Friday’s Buffalo NY Courier, 24 Nov. 1904

New York Sun, Friday, 25 Nov 1904 (Courtesy: http://www.fultonhistory.com)

Taking Home Turkey From Raffle (Credit: Library of Congress*)

New York Sun, Friday, 25 Nov 1904 (courtesy of http://www.fultonhistory.com)

 PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES: New York City, Thanksgiving holiday scenes, 1911. Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA; VISIT:  http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005675293/

Protected: 1898 Shipwreck: Brodhead sister-in-law & husband lost

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Protected: October 1898 ads herald transition from summer to fall

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: